She was the youngest of six, with three sisters and two brothers. First was Marie, then Dorothy, then Joni. Next came Donald, followed by Johnny. Last came Linda Lea Anne, who was later called Lydia after a beloved aunt.
Family roots
Raised in a family with French Canadian heritage deeply rooted in Catholic tradition, Lydia grew up speaking French at her home in Massachusetts. Her family meant everything to her. From a young age, her natural abilities in art emerged—a gift and interest she shared with her older sister, Dorothy.
Born on the same day 15 years apart, Lydia and Dorothy shared a special bond. They called each other “soul sisters.” At age seven, Lydia was the flower girl in Dorothy’s wedding. When President Kennedy was shot, Lydia remembered being at Dorothy’s house.
Lydia’s father died when she was just 14. Feeling deeply alone, it was a loss that lingered for decades. “He was a sweet, gentle person and a councilman in our city,” Lydia recalled. “I was the only child living at home at the time. I saw him go to work every day. His importance and presence in my life at the time made his passing all the more devastating.”
Moving, learning, and reinventing
Years passed; Lydia married a man who was in the Air Force and started a family of her own. Her husband’s career took her to Hawaii, Kansas, and New Mexico, far from family.
When the two divorced in the 1980s, Lydia moved to Northern California, pursuing a wide range of part-time jobs and volunteer efforts while raising her three children. “I could do anything if you just showed me how to do it,” Lydia recalled.
She constantly reinvented herself, working for the city in Information Technology, the police department, a cultural center, the water department, and a senior center, just to name a few. She served as a peer counselor, participated in community town hall meetings, developed classes for older adults, and volunteered for forest and wildlife conservation causes.
In her 50s, Lydia returned to college, which led to a study abroad program in France. Throughout this experience, thoughts of her father remained close. “It was as if he was with me every step of the way,” she shared. “I felt I was sharing this with my loving father, who didn’t have the opportunity to visit France,” she said. “He would have been so proud of me for going.”
Around the same time, Lydia was diagnosed with ADHD, which transformed her self-awareness. “I felt and knew something was different about me,” she said. For Lydia, the diagnosis was a gift in many ways. It gave her permission to embrace the unique gifts that she’d always possessed.
A birthday wish
Now at 78, Lydia is retired, living in isolated, subsidized senior housing in California on a fixed income. Financial constraints keep her from visiting family thousands of miles away—but it still remains her lifeline and greatest interest. She has traced her lineage back to 1623, uncovering French-speaking Acadian ancestors from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and even found connections to the Mi’kmaq Indigenous people of Canada’s Atlantic provinces.
Back in Massachusetts, Dorothy moved into an assisted living facility, leaving her home of more than 50 years. The sisters had not seen one another since 1994, and with their large age gap, they never had the opportunity to celebrate their shared birthday together.
“I just fell apart when Dorothy had some health issues not long ago,” Lydia said. “I’ve always wished for us to celebrate our birthdays together. Being in the same room with my sister and our family would be so precious.”
Wish of a Lifetime was honored to fly Lydia across the country to celebrate her birthday with Dorothy. Their other sister, Joni, accompanied Lydia on the flight to help manage some of the trip’s logistics. The family gathered in Dorothy’s daughter’s home, complete with cake, presents, and abundant love and laughter.
Lydia said that the trip was beyond her wildest dreams. It allowed her to connect with family members she hadn’t seen in many years.
“This wish was about so much more than a birthday celebration,” Lydia said. “It’s uniting a loving family, it’s a reconnection, and a precious lasting moment with my beautiful sister, Dorothy.”
Just two months after Wish of a Lifetime granted Lydia’s wish to spend her birthday with her sister, Dorothy passed away at age 93. We were thankful the wish experience allowed the sisters to be together one last time.
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